Students looking at documents in the archives

Art History

Art as a history of human culture.

How does art tell the story of humankind? Through visual and written analysis, deep research, and interdisciplinary studies, you’ll gain an understanding of the global impact art has had on humanity and discover how it has both shaped and responded to individuals and societies throughout time. You’ll develop the creative and critical thinking skills, aesthetic judgment, and historical knowledge needed to pursue advanced studies or enter a career in architecture, arts management, education, law, museums and galleries, and more.

The art history faculty are located in the Humanities and Social Studies Center. If you need to contact one of the professors, we suggest email.

Why Study Art History?

  • Tutorial class meets in the Grinnell College Museum of Art

    Grinnell College Museum of Art

    Take advantage of informal study options.

    You’ll enjoy opportunities to develop your aesthetic judgment and historical understanding of art. Part of your experience will stem from access to the Grinnell College Museum of Art’s (GCMoA) collection of approximately 6,000 original works of art and the changing exhibitions that your professors will incorporate into your classes.

  • Students stand at whiteboard examining artwork

    Expert Faculty

    Conduct research with your professors.

    Through visual and written analysis, deep research, and interdisciplinary studies, you’ll gain an understanding of the global impact art has on humanity and discover how it has both shaped and responded to individuals and societies throughout history. You’ll perform this work under the guidance of dedicated faculty members with vibrant research programs you may have the opportunity to contribute to. All this translates into excitement in the classroom.

  • Owen Daley ’20 looking at different pieces in the Print and Drawing study room

    Career Opportunities

    Hone your skills and graduate ready for a wide range of professions.

    You’ll develop the creative and critical thinking skills, aesthetic judgment, and historical knowledge needed to pursue advanced studies or enter a career in architecture, arts management, education, law, museums and galleries, and more.

  • Students visit statues in China

    Global Learning from Grinnell to Dunhuang

    A research project in China was just the beginning of this student’s educational journey.

  • David Cambronera

    A Passion for Art History

    David Cambronero ’16 planned to major in biology and then go to medical school. However, when he took History of Art and Architecture, he became captivated by the field and its multidisciplinary nature — in dialogue with economics, sociology, literature, material culture, human nature, and so much more.

     

Featured Courses

Students lay out art pieces for exhibit
An Artistic Voyage: Exhibition Seminar

The art history Exhibition Seminar course is a rare opportunity for undergraduate students to curate an exhibition. The course culminates in a show in the Grinnell College Museum of Art and in the publication of a catalog.

Cars in Cuba
Within the Revolution

Within the Revolution: Art, Media, and the Built Environment was a course centered on art, architecture, and visual culture in Havana, Cuba, with a focus on the role of nationalism and revolution, says Fredo Rivera ’06, assistant professor of art history.

Art history students look at stained glass windows in Louis Sullivan's Merchants' Bank
Studying the Artistic and Architectural Gems of Grinnell

Introduction to Art History (ARH 103) is a foundational course that makes active use of the Grinnell College Art Collection, exhibited and housed in the College’s Museum of Art. According to Professor Jenny Anger, much of the coursework is based on the close study of these works of art.

Department News

Professor Jenny Anger and a group of students examine an artwork in the Print and Drawing Study Room
Academics

Anger’s New Book to Explore Surrealism and Female Mental Illness

Professor of Art History Jenny Anger is studying how admiration for female “madness” has affected the reality of women artists with mental illness.
Michael Mackenzie, Grinnell College authors and artists
Podcasts

Michael Mackenzie: Otto Dix and the First World War

In this Authors and Artists episode, Mackenzie discusses his new book, Otto Dix and the First World War: Grotesque Humor, Camaraderie and Remembrance.
Eiren Shea, Grinnell College Authors and Artists
Podcasts

Eiren Shea: Mongol Court Dress, Identity Formation, and Global Exchange

Shea's newest book investigates how a group of newly-confederated tribes from the steppe conquered the most sophisticated societies in existence in less than a century

Art History Career Outcomes

First Destinations

  • 56% Employment
  • 22% Graduate School
  • 6% Post-Graduate Service
  • 0% Fellowships
  • 0% Continuing Education
  • 17% Other

Employment

99%
Positions related to Career Goals

Positions Related to Career Goals

This graph illustrates the extent to which our graduates' first job is aligned with their career goals. It's one thing to find a job; it's an entirely different thing to land the job you want!

Employer

  • Colorado College
  • The James Theater
  • Lanesboro Arts

Graduate Schools

100%
100% Accepted to 1st- or 2nd- choice programs

Graduate School Acceptance Info

Of those who applied to and were accepted to at least one program, this chart illustrates the percentage of admitted students who were accepted to either their first or second choice program and institution.

Institutions

  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Indiana University
Explore More Graduate Outcomes

Department Chair

Michael "Mac" Mackenzie

Contact Information

Phone
641-269-3157

Humanities and Social Studies Center
1226 Park Street
Grinnell, IA 50112
United States

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